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A DISCOURSE, 



■ 

ON THE DE\TP M 



STEPHEN GBELLET, 



A SKETCH OF HIS LIFE AND LABOURS. 

DELIVERED DECEMBER 16, 1855, 

IN THE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH, BURLINGTON, N. J. 



CORTLANDT VAN RENSSELAER, 

A MINISTER IN THE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH. 



PHILADELPHIA: 

HENRY LONGSTRETH, 

347 MARKET STREET. 
1856. 



*~- f 






The departure of such a man as Stephen GuELLETfrom our community, 
seemed to demand some public commemoration of his labours and virtues. 
The writer felt moved, — he humbly trusts by his Divine Master, — to under- 
take, in connection with a Discourse, a brief Memorial. It is now published 
in furtherance of its original design, and in compliance with wishes expressed 
by persons of all denominations of Christians. May a blessing from the 
Lord attend this attempt to honour His grace and providence in their rela- 
tions to this good man's life. 

It is proper to state that a considerable part of the Discourse was omitted, 
in the delivery, on account of its length ; and also that some additions have 
been since made to it. 

C. V. R. 

BURLINGTON, N. J., 

December 18th, 1855. 



C SHERMAN & SOX. PRINTERS, 
19 St. James Street. 



DISCOUESE. 



"I HAVE FOUGHT A GOOD FIGHT; I HATE FINISHED MY COURSE; I HAVE KEPT 
THE FAITH. HENCEFORTH THERE IS LAID UP FOR ME A CROWN OF RIGHTEOUS- 
NESS, tvhich the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give me at that day, 

AND NOT TO ME ONLY, BUT UNTO ALL THEM ALSO THAT LOVE HIS APPEAR- 
ING."— 2 Tim. 4: 7, 8. 

Standing on the confines of eternity, the Apostle 
Paul possessed a sublimity of faith, inspired by the 
triumphs of the past, and nurtured by the glory of the 
future. 

A fight, a course, the faith, a crown, are great themes 
of life — greater in the prospect of death, and greatest in 
the visions of immortality. 

The fight, though an arduous one, is good and victo- 
rious. 

To the toilsome course there is a termination of rest. 

The faith, thanks be to God, may be kept, with its 
precious promises and doctrines of salvation. 

A crown of righteousness, the reward of conflict, toil, 
and service, is laid up by the righteous Judge for all 
them that love his appearing at the great day. 

Before the crown must come the end of the course, 
and before the end the fight ! 



I. "I have fought A good FIGHT," exclaimed Paul, 
with the enthusiasm of grace. Every Apostle was a 
warrior ; and every martyr, and every Christian, out of 
every nation, and in every age. Stephen Grellet was 
a champion of the cross. Opposed to war, and abhorring 
arms, the Quaker fought the good fight. No plea for ex- 
emption from military service can be offered or admitted 
in the spiritual struggle. All must share in the strife, 
and " ttike the whole armour of God, that they may be 
able to stand in the evil day, and, having done all, to 
stand." Eph. 6 : 13. 

Let us inquire what is implied in "fighting a good 
fight," 

It means, in the first place, that the warfare is in a 
good cause. The cause of religion is the grandest, the 
holiest, the best, that can engage the thoughts, and heart, 
and strength of an immortal. Christ came to " seek and 
to save that which was lost." Prophecies foretold him, 
types prefigured him, history ushered his way, angels 
came down to witness him, stars shed their rays towards 
his manger, the opening heavens, and the voice of God 
and the alighting Spirit, all declared that Jesus is " the 
first born of every creature." The great purpose of his 
incarnation was to make a sacrifice for sin, and to 
"bring life and immortality to light." Every individual 
believer, in fis;htin2: against sin in his own heart, is en- 
gaged in the greatest undertaking that can enlist im- 
mortal energies. Bishop Hall piously exclaims : " 
Saviour, there is peace which thou disclaimest, and there 
is a sword which thou challengest to bring. Peace with 



our corruptions is war against thee ; and that war in 
our bosoms, wherein the spirit fighteth against the flesh, 
is peace with thee. Oh, let thy good Spirit raise and 
foment this holy and intestine war more and more within 
me. And, as for my outward spiritual enemies, how 
can there be a victory without war? and how can I hope 
for a crown, without victory ? Oh, do thou ever gird 
me with strength to the battle, enable me to resist unto 
blood, make me faithful to the death, that thou mayest 
give me the crown of life." The struggle for our own 
personal salvation, and for the conversion of others, 
causes the angels of heaven to come down and co-operate 
in the mighty work. "Are they not all ministering 
spirits, sent to minister for them who shall be heirs of 
salvation?" Heb. 1 : 14. The enterprises of men, the 
battles of nations, the toil of this life are transitory and 
vain. But the cause of God, which is a conquest of 
sin, achieves a victory that brings with it everlasting 
joy and glory. To war for such a victory is to " fight a 
good fight." 

The expression further implies the existence of great 
opposition. Earthly temptations, in the form of honour, 
and power, and vanity, beset every one who aims at the 
rewards of a better life. The whole world is arraj-ed 
against the Christian, with all its schemes and pursuits. 
In his own heart, too, lurks the foe to grace. " The 
lusts of the flesh, and the lusts of the ej^e, and the pride 
of life," are three divisions of a battalion that has the 
power of "legion." Satan, also, confronts the believer 
with the malice and might of the, " Prince of the air." 



6 



We contend against " principalities and powers, and the 
rulers of the darkness of this world." Eph. 6 : 12. It 
is a " good fight" to fight against the world, the flesh, 
and the devil — to war against enemies so formidable 
without and within. 

A "good fight" implies fervent zeal in conducting the 
warfare. It requires entire consecration to the service, 
implicit obedience to the great Captain of salvation, 
hardy endurance, and active exertion. Can an enter- 
prise of so momentous interests be carried on without a 
spirit of corresponding intensity? The soldier of the 
cross must renew the conflict every day. He must be 
always ready to do, or to suffer, all things in his 
Master's cause, and for His sake. Welcome trial, and 
welcome death, in such a conflict! "For the love of 
Christ constraineth us; because we thus judge, that if 
one died for all, then were all dead; and that he died 
for all, that they which live should not live henceforth 
unto themselves, but unto him who died for them and 
rose again." 2 Cor. 5 : 14, 15. The work of personal 
holiness and consecration to God derives motives for its 
zealous prosecution from a Saviour's bleeding love. 
Lukewarmness in such a cause is indifference to its 
object. As the struggle is a great one, so zeal in ad- 
vancing it must be great. "What carefulness should 
be wrought in us; yea, what clearing of ourselves; yea, 
what indignation; yea, what fear; yea, what vehement 
desire; yea, what zeal; yea, what revenge!" 2 Cor. 
7 : 11. To fight a good fight is to be earnest in con- 
ducting it well; it is to have burning love and zeal. 



The expression also implies success in the contest. "I 
have fought a good fight" is the language of exultation — 
of Christian exultation. The struggle has been a hard 
one, but not without victory. Grace reigns triumphant. 
The character has been disciplined by trial. The affec- 
tions have been purified. Self-denial has been wrought 
into the soul by the contact of temptation and care. 
The body has been kept under, and holiness prevails 
with the power of a new and progressive life. Feeling 
that he "can do all things, through Christ, which 
strengthened him," Phil. 4 : 13, the Christian warrior 
rejoices in the success which accompanies the arduous 
warfare. The work of the Spirit in his heart assures 
him that peace has been won in the Redeemer's name, 
and that "all things are his, and he is Christ's, and 
Christ is God's." 1 Cor. 3 : 23. 

Such are, doubtless, some of the thoughts which 
entered the mind of the beloved Stephen Grellet, the 
Apostle of Burlington, when, in his last public dis- 
course, he unfolded the text to the enlightenment of 
listening Friends. "I have fought the good fight," said 
the aged warrior, with a meekness of joy that gave all 
the glory to God. As he surveyed, with an eye of faith 
and a memory of love, the grandeur of the cause for 
which he had been contending, the numerous enemies 
within and without, the zeal inspired by the Holy 
Ghost, and the success which, through Divine grace, had 
blessed him with encouragement and hope, no one, 
better than he, could exclaim, not only "I have fought," 
but " I have fought a good fight !" 



8 



II. "I have finished my course." The figure of a 
warfare is here dropped, and the Apostle Paul now 
likens himself to a victor in the Olympic games, who, 
having ended his race, stands breathless with victorious 
effort, awaiting his crown. 

Human life is a course. 

It is a course of labour. Hard work belongs to the 
Christian. Paul was not only a working man, but a 
hard-working man. "In labours more abundant." is his 
concise testimony. TTho ever ran such a course of toil 
as the Apostle to the Gentiles? Whilst he was. in the 
wisdom of his utterance to the Pagans, the very Mer- 
curius of their gods, Acts 14 : 12. no Hercules could do 
the work, which, in the name of Christ, this cleanser of 
nations accomplished. Paul passed through the pro- 
vinces and towns of Asia Minor, enduring labour of 
every kind for the spread of the Gospel. In answer to 
the cry for help, given to him at midnight by the 
beckoning Macedonian, he crossed over into Europe; 
and first preaching Christ in Philippi, he went from 
nation to nation under the pressure of cares and of work, 
which none but the elect of God can bear. 

Every Christian has a course of labour. If not as 
severe as Paul's, like his it is a course to be run. Few 
men, since the days of the Apostle, have travelled to 
and fro, for the propagation of religion, more extensively 
than our own Stephen Grellet. His active feet have 
trod Norwegian mountains and Sweden's dales in pro- 
moting the religion of his blessed Master. The step- 
pes of Russia, the Mohammedan capital, the hills of 



9 



classic Greece, the monuments of Rome, Alpine summits. 
Germany in all its kingdoms, Holland, Belgium, France, 
Spain, England and Ireland, North America from Ca- 
nada to the West Indies, — all have borne witness to the 
Christian labours of the Quaker Missionary. He was a 
true successor of the Apostles in that which shadows all 
pretension with its light, namely, godly zeal and self- 
denying work. Beyond the verge of fourscore, joyfully 
did he exclaim, " I have finished my course." 

But human life is a course of suffering as well as of 
labour. Christ was both a labourer and a sufferer. It 
is sufficient for the servant that he be as his Master. 
Afflictions are the appointments of God's people. " That 
no man should be moved by these afflictions ; for your- 
selves know that we are appointed thereunto." 1 Thess. 
3 : 3. Paul, "in all things approved himself as the 
minister of God, in much patience, in afflictions, in 
necessities, in distresses; in stripes, in imprisonments, in 
tumults, in labours, in watchings, in fastings." 2 Cor. 
6 : 4, 5. Nay, so numerous and severe were his trials, 
that he declared to the Colossians, " who now rejoice in 
my sufferings for you, and fill up that which is behind 
of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh, for his body's 
sake, which is the Church." Col. 1 : 24. Every Chris- 
tian must expect trials, persecutions, sufferings, accord- 
ing to the measure of the dispensation of God. The 
beloved Grellet endured trials of body and of spirit, in 
the midst of exceedingly great labours. He was of so 
sensitive a nature that his very meekness added burdens 
to his soul. No scorching suns, or winter's snows, de- 



10 



terred him from liis work on either continent. If he 
escaped outward persecution, he was at times very near 
it. The police of France was once on his track to arrest 
him. He went forth on his journeyings, not knowing 
what might befall. Faith in God sustained him in all 
his trials. 

"Nothing before, nothing behind; 
The steps of faith 

Fall on the seeming void, and find 
The rock beneath." 

God's special providence watched over His servant, 
numbered every hair of his head, saw and directed every 
step of his way, counted every tear of his sorrows, and 
enabled him to come victorious out of every affliction. 
To the sufferings incident to his public office, were 
added, especially in his latter days, acute physical pain. 
" For we, that are in this tabernacle, do groan, being 
burdened." 2 Cor. 5:4. To be near the end of our 
course of sufferings, is a prospect of joy. 

More desirable even than to end wearisome labours 
and sufferings, is to finish a course of striving with sin. 
It is sin that turns labour into trial, and that makes 
suffering its companion. In heaven there is much ser- 
vice, but no toil. Holiness is the great purpose of 
redemption ; " according as he hath chosen us in Christ 
before the foundation of the world, that we should be 
holy, and without blame before him in love." Eph. 1 : 4. 
The struggle with sin is the severest of all the tempta- 
tions and difficulties in the Christian course. Our best 
services are imperfect. The purest offerings we can 



11 



bring, are proved but dross by the scales of the sanc- 
tuary. Paul did not consider himself perfect ; but for- 
getting what was behind, he " pressed toward the mark 
for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus." 
Phil. 3 : 13, 14. He exclaimed, "Oh, wretched man 
that I am, who shall deliver me from the body of this 
death?" Rom. 7 : 24. Oh, how sin interferes with 
our labours, and thwarts the object of our sufferings ! 
A desire to be delivered from sin, was the earnest long- 
ing of the heart of Grellet. The glory of God in the 
perfection of his poor, weak creature, was the aim of 
his anxious life. The Christian " cannot run so as to 
obtain," unless he outstrips Satan in the race. 

Life's course of labour, of suffering, and of striving with 
sin, is such that in drawing near its close, the Christian 
may say with joy and hope, " I have finished my course !" 

III. " I have kept the faith." This is the utterance 
of an Apostle, who had cherished God's truth to the end 
of his fighting, and to the finishing of his race. Truth 
is to the warrior and the runner, like a girdle about his 
loins. Epli. 6 : 14. 

The word "faith" means in this, as in other passages 
of Scripture, the system of doctrine revealed in the 
divine oracles. Paul had been brought up " a Hebrew 
of the Hebrews ; touching the righteousness of the law, 
a Pharisee ; concerning zeal, persecuting the Church." 
Phil. 3 : 5, 6. But when he became converted to the 
doctrine of Christ, he counted all his previous training, 
knowledge, and advantageous relations to Judaism, but 



12 



" loss/' for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ 
Jesus, his Lord. From the time when he was struck 
down to the earth by the light of his Master's appear- 
ing on the road to Damascus, to his dying hour in Rome, 
Paul preached "Jesus Christ, and him crucified." 
1 Cor. 2:2. This is, indeed, the sum and substance of 
our faith. It includes the doctrine concerning the person 
of Christ and the doctrine concerning his sufferings. 
Jesus Christ, in his person, unites the human nature with 
the divine ; and Jesus Christ, in his life and crucifixion, 
offered an atonement for the washing away of the guilt 
of sin, and of its pollution. " But ye are washed, but ye 
are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the 
Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God." 1 Cor. 6:11. 
" What think ye of Christ?" is the test of every religious 
system. Matt. 22 : 42. If either the divinity of Christ, 
or the expiatory nature of his sufferings, be denied, the 
religious creed is of man, and not of God. The Quaker 
minister agreed with the Apostle of the Gentiles. He 
" kept the faith." In the midst of agitations which rent 
the Society asunder, he " proved all things ; he held fast 
to that which was good." Thess. 5 : 21. " Whilst some 
were bewitched" from obeying the truth of Christ, like 
the Galatians, Gal. 3 : 1, and others made " shipwreck 
of the faith," like Hymenams and Alexander, 1 Tim. 
1 : 19, he stood firm in his attachment to the mystery 
of godliness, and testified with heart and life to the 
doctrines of the Bible. 

Every church is troubled at times with false teachers. 
" Of yourselves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, 



13 



to draw away disciples after them." Acts 20 : 30. "For 
there must be also heresies among you, that they which 
are approved may be made manifest among you." 

1 Cor. 11:19. " For the time will come when they will 
not endure sound doctrine ; but after their own lust shall 
they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears ; 
and they shall turn away their ears from the truth, 
and shall be turned unto fables ;" that is, unto fictions. 

2 Tim. 4 : 3, 4. How seductive is error; and downward 
are all its ways ! Brethren, it is a great thing to " keep 
the faith," to preserve it from the wiles of heresy, and 
to hold it forth to the world, whether men will hear, or 
whether they will forbear. Especially in times of 
emergency must the faithful hold fast to the " form of 
sound words." 2 Tim. 1 : 13. It is as much our duty 
to maintain the truth as to practise it. Martyrs have 
died for it; Paul in prison gloried that he had borne 
witness to it ; and Christians in every age are exhorted 
to " contend earnestly for the faith once delivered to the 
saints." Jude, 3. The preservation of the truth in a 
world of ignorance and of darkness is, indeed, a privilege 
of triumphant joy. 

The Christian is prompted to " keep the faith" by an 
enlightened conviction that the Gospel system is of 
Divine origin. " All scripture is given by inspiration of 
God." 2 Tim. 3 : 16. Its true knowledge, or under- 
standing, is also through the illumination of the Holy 
Spirit. When our Saviour said to Peter, "But whom 
say ye that I am ? Simon Peter answered and said, 
Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. And 



14 



Jesus answered and said, Blessed art thou, Simon 
Barjona, for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto 
thee, but my Father which is in Heaven." Matt. 16 : 
16, 17. The conviction that the Gospel is of Divine 
origin makes its disciples bold in keeping the faith. 

Furthermore, the experience of the precious power of 
truth in the heart impels to its defence. The practical 
reception of the Gospel is the attestation of its divinity. 
" Ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you 
free." John 8 : 32. " Seeing ye have purified your 
souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit." 1 Pet. 

1 : 22. " Chosen to salvation through belief in the truth." 

2 Thess. 2 : 13. "And for their sakes, I sanctify myself, 
that they also may be sanctified through the truth." 
John 18 : 17. "If any man do his will, he shall know 
of the doctrine, whether it be of God." John 7 : 17. 
The practical influence of the Gospel as the instrument 
in the conversion and sanctification of the soul, animates 
its believers in holding fast to it. Truth, hidden in the 
heart, becomes a mighty power for its own preservation. 
And none are more devoted in maintaining it, than 
those, who, ready to take their departure, have a fore- 
taste of the excellence of things invisible, amidst the 
realities of the truth and grace of the eternal world. 

The disciple, who has "fought a good fight" and 
"finished his course," can add, with a mental and heart- 
felt conviction of its truth, "I have kept the faith!' 1 

IV. Thus encouraged hy a retrospect of life and by the 
promises of God in reference to another world, the be- 



15 



liever takes a joyful survey of the future state, and 
exclaims, " Henceforth, there is laid up for me A crown 
of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, 
will give me in that day." 

There is a crown for the believer in another world. 
His warfare being accomplished, and his race run, 
victory is celebrated with the honours of crowning. The 
highest earthly distinction is commonly represented by 
a crown. Whether a monarch's, or the victorious con- 
queror's, or the successful racer's crown, the idea is 
victory, distinction, reward. So in heaven, the faithful 
Christian shall be honoured and rewarded for all his 
toils and sufferings. The brow, once clouded with care, 
shall shine with a crown, with the victor's crown, with 
a crown of heavenly award. 

But observe particularly, that it is a crown of righte- 
ousness; not of olive leaves, or of laurel, or a diadem of 
earthly jewels. It is a crown of righteousness. The 
saints, redeemed from all corruption of flesh and spirit, 
shall at last attain to full perfection in heavenly places. 
Adam had originally a crown of righteousness ; being 
created in "righteousness and true holiness." But "the 
crown is fallen from our heads : wo unto us that we 
have sinned." Lam. 5 : 16. In heaven it will be re- 
gained. The sighs, and tears, and groanings, and con- 
trition of the saints, shall cease in that world, where 
holiness reigns in every heart and on every head. Re- 
demption is completed there. Clothed in " fine linen, 
which is the righteousness of the saints," Rev. 19 : 8, 
and with robes washed "white in the blood of the 



16 



Lamb/' Rev. 7 : 14, the redeemed shall enjoy to all 
eternity the perfect happiness of perfect holiness. 

But the " crown of righteousness" has a higher mean- 
ing even than the honour which God bestows on holy 
men. It also means a crown righteously due through the 
merits and righteousness of Jesus Christ and thus refers 
not merely to the inward state, but to the status — the 
standing, or outward relations of the redeemed. In this 
sense, the righteousness of Christ is the peculiar bright- 
ness of every crown. Christ's sacrifice and obedience 
are the only warrant of the presence of any of Adam's 
race in heaven. It would be no heaven to the saints 
to possess anything with which Christ was not asso- 
ciated. Most of all, must their crowns have upon them 
the name of the Saviour, and be lighted up by the 
lustre of Redemption. The righteousness of the saints, 
derived from and dependent upon the righteousness of 
Christ, endures throughout eternity. The "crown of 
righteousness," which is theirs through grace, may be 
said to consist of two parts, yet one ; the simple gold to 
bind on the brow, being the righteousness of the saints, 
whilst the gems and jewels, that distinguish it from 
every other crown, represent its gift through the right- 
eousness of Christ. The band and the gems form the 
crown of Redemption ; but the gems are the peculiar 
glory of the crown. 

" Henceforth — or, it remaineth that — there is laid up 
for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the 
righteous Judge, will give me at that day." How full 
of meaning is this clause of the text ! 



17 



It assures us that there is si future state. Immortality 
is the region beyond the valley of the shadow of death. 

The future state is one of retribution. Crowns are 
given to the righteous ; but the sword of vengeance shall 
be arrayed against the wicked. 

There is an interval between death and the judgment, 
waiting for the full consummations of retribution. The 
crown " is laid up/' but not worn, till the last great day. 
" All those that love His appearing" shall, indeed, be 
with Christ at death ; for " to be absent from the body 
is to be present with the Lord." 2 Cor. 5 : 8. But it is 
only at the resurrection, when they that are in the 
graves shall hear his voice, and shall come forth, John 5 : 
28, that the final distribution shall be fully accomplished. 

There is a day of judgment. In that day. the race of 
Adam shall be judged for all the deeds done in the body. 
Day of judgment! Day of wonders. 

Christ is the Judge and the King. His Calvary- 
wounded body shall be on the throne of His glory ; and 
there shall He award immortal destiny, holding in his 
hand the sceptre of universal dominion. 

The believer often casts a wishful eye to the great 
scenes beyond the Jordan. Having fought a good fight, 
and finished his course, and kept the faith, he waits in 
the patience of hope, until, after sleeping in Jesus, he 
shall awake with his crown. 

The beloved saint in Christ, whose body rests beneath 
our familiar soil until the resurrection of the great day, 
realizes the meaning of the text with sweeter power in 
heaven, than when the words were upon his lips, as a 



18 



preacher in the Friends' Meeting House. We have en- 
deavoured, from the text associated with his last public 
exhortation, to hold forth Christian doctrine appropriate 
to the occasion. Let us now attempt a sketch of the 
life and character of Stephen Grellet. Such- a biogra- 
phical view may, with God's blessing, be for edification, 
and it is a tribute due to the memory of a devoted and 
laborious servant of our Lord Jesus Christ. 



Stephen Grellet was born in the year 1773, in 
France, in the town of Limoges, which is situated in 
the old Province of Limosin, and in the modern De- 
partment of Haute Vienne, about one hundred miles 
northeast of Bordeaux, and the same distance southeast 
of La Rochelle. The district of Limosin is regarded 
by many travellers as the most beautiful in France. 

His parents were of high rank and quite wealthy. His 
father was a member of the household of Louis XVI, 
and was an intimate friend and counsellor of the King, 
attending service with him in his private chapel. Dur- 
ing the Revolution which overthrew the monarchy and 
resulted in the execution of Louis XYI, in 1793, both 
parents were made prisoners, and were both ordered to 
be guillotined. They were actually taken out of prison 
for execution, when it w r as discovered that the father 
possessed such knowledge of financial and state affairs, 
that they were remanded to prison, where they remained 
until after the execution of Louis XVI, and were then 
spared. Their estates were confiscated; but the govern- 



19 



ment allowed Mr. Grellet one of his houses in Limoges, 
where he resided in comparative obscurity and poverty. 
One of the sisters of Stephen Grellet married a Baron, 
and was living in 1844, as was also a brother/ 1 ' 

Stephen Grellet was born at an eventful period. The 
profligate Louis XV was yet living; and social and 
public corruption reigned in the person of the monarch. 
The faithful Bishop of Senez, being called to preach 
before the king, during Lent of the year 1774, chose for 
his text the words of the prophet : " Yet forty days, and 
Nineveh shall be overthrown !" God so ordered his 
providence that, when the forty days were past, Louis 
XV was lying dead in the royal abbey of Saint Denis. 
At that time a little child was living at Limoges, who 
out of a nation of corruption, was to arise, a worthy suc- 
cessor of the Bishop of Senez, and who, in his day, was 
likewise to preach the great truths of God before kings 
and rulers of the earth. 

Stephen Grellet was educated in the Bom an Catholic 
faith. He received the anointing oil, the sign of the 
cross, the benediction of priest, and the training of 
Mother Church ; but God designed better things for the 

* "At Brives/' writes Joseph John Gurney, " lives la Baronne le Clerc, 
the sister of Stephen Grellet, a lady-like, elderly widow, surrounded by 
children and grandchildren. She is a Roman Catholic, much devoted 
and yet liberal ; very refined and pleasing." " Limoges is the birth-place 
of Stephen Grellet J and his elder brother, Joseph, also a Friend, who 
once lived at Nottingham, now resides here with his Roman Catholic 
wife. We felt much sympathy with this quiet, worthy man, who is, I 
trust (in the midst of darkness and superstition), preserved steady to his 
principles." — Life of J. J. Gurnet/, ii, 427. 



20 



babe than were represented by earthly ceremonies and 
false doctrines. 

In the meanwhile, he received a good secular educa- 
tion, at the large Military College at Lyons. Here there 
were several hundred students under the strictest disci- 
pline. At this institution, young Grellet attained seve- 
ral prizes for proficiency in Latin, and laid the founda- 
tion for the mental discipline and general knowledge 
which belonged to his future character. At the age of 
seventeen, he became one of the body guards of the 
unfortunate monarch, Louis XVI.* He had not yet 
learned to fight the good fight of faith, but trusted to the 
carnal weapons and vainglories of the military pro- 
fession. 

His family being attached to the Bourbons, it was 
concluded that S. G. and two of his brothers should 
repair under the standard of the French Princes who 
united with other continental powers in endeavouring to 
replace Louis XYI on the throne of France. They 
passed through Normandy to Coblentz, which was the 
rendezvous of the princes and the nobility. After a 
winter and spring of preparation, they entered France 
in the summer of 1792 with the Austrians. Being in a 

* Eleazer Williams, the so-called Dauphin, or lost Prince, visited 
Stephen Grellet in Burlington, -with a view to obtain the benefit of his 
personal testimony and reminiscences. Mr. Grellet discovered, as others 
had done, a resemblance to the royal family, and was much interested in 
his character and statements. S. Grellet had, on one occasion, seen the 
young Dauphin kneel at the mass. On parting with Eleazer Williams, 
S. G. affectionately exhorted him to attend faithfully to things of higher 
interest than earthly genealogies and crowns. 



21 



reserve corps, Stephen Grellet was never present in an 
actual engagement, and his line was never called upon 
to fire. This, in after years, afforded him much satis- 
faction. Owing to political changes in France, and to 
private alienations in the Princes' army, caused in part 
by the ambition of the Count de Provence, afterwards 
Louis XVIII, the Princes' army was ultimately dis- 
banded, after a weak and ineffective campaign. 

In the exciting times of the French Revolution, Ste- 
phen Grellet and his brother, who was also a soldier, 
were taken prisoners while on horseback, and expected 
every moment to be shot. S. G. (then in an uncon- 
verted state, to which he alwaj^s looked back with 
horror), sat upon his horse with as much composure as 
ever he felt in his life, each hand on a pistol, intending 
to cause death to others before he himself should die. 
Some unexpected circumstance caused a commotion and 
excitement among their captors, of which the prisoners 
took advantage and escaped to Brussels, and thence to 
Amsterdam. A republican general, a friend of the 
family, favoured their escape in a ship bound to the West 
Indies. In passing on their way to the ship, thev 
brushed against soldiers who were fiercely swearing 
what they would do to the Grellets, if they could find 
them. The present writer has heard the good old man 
relate, with great satisfaction and gratitude, that he had 
never fired a weapon for the destruction of human life. 

The destination of the young Grellets was Demarara. 
Here they remained for two years, engaged on a planta- 
tion, and in commercial transactions. Hearing that 



some French vessels had unexpectedly appeared off De- 
marara, which proved however to be an English fleet, the 
Grellets became apprehensive of being again taken pri- 
soners, and secretly embarked on board of a vessel just 
about to sail to New York. They embarked in such 
haste that they left behind a considerable part of their 
property. They landed in New York in the spring of 
1795; but left the city for the sake of retirement, and 
took lodgings at Newtown on Long Island, until they 
should receive tidings from their parents in France. 

Stephen Grellet, at the time of his emigration to 
America, seems to have been an unbeliever, after the 
example of many of the Roman Catholics of France. 
The transition from Popery to infidelity — from believing 
everything to believing nothing — is easily accomplished 
over that bridge of temptation, whose architecture was 
perfected in the middle ages, and has well stood the test 
of time. While in France he had occasionally attended 
the confessional. 

On his arrival in the United States, in 1795, the young 
French unbeliever, now 22 years of age, went, as we 
have said, on Long Island. It was here that God had 
sent him to learn the first truths of religion. " God's 
ways are not as our ways, nor His thoughts as our 
thoughts." The circumstances of his conversion were 
striking. At times, his mind had been directed to the 
subject of religion with greater or less distinctness, when 
one day, whilst walking alone in an orchard, he seemed 
to hear a voice sounding in his ear " Eternity! Eter- 
nity !" This was repeated so solemnly and impressively, 



that he began to realize that there was, in truth, an 
eternal world. The argument to his mind and con- 
science was, "If so, w T hat will become of my soul?" 
Convictions of the error of his ways were startled into 
existence, and these convictions were deep and pungent. 
For about two years, his mind was agitated by thoughts 
of " eternity," and the apprehensions of guilt. Being in 
a Bible land, and having access to God's precious truth, 
he studied the sacred Scriptures for the first time ; and 
through their perusal, and the instructions of Friends, by 
Divine grace, he experienced peace and joy in believing. 

While on Long Island, he went into a Friends' meet- 
ing, and was deeply affected by the words of a female 
preacher. His impressions in favour of Friends w r ere 
strengthened by social intercourse, and by an investiga- 
tion of their principles and practices. One of his earliest 
personal friends in the Society was the beloved and 
venerated Richard Mott, now of Burlington, who then 
resided in New York. 

He refused various most attractive offers of lucrative 
business, feeling a check in his mind. Soon after his 
arrival, he was invited to return to France, by his pa- 
rents, who had received back much of their estate. 
Although he had every reason to expect riches in such 
return, he did not feel free to accept the invitation, and 
in this the Divine hand may be distinctly seen. This 
paternal estate was soon lost again by confiscation ; but 
in the path of providential appointment he was both to 
receive and to dispense the true riches. 

In December, 1795, he moved to the city of Philadel- 



24 



phia, then emphatically a Quaker city. Here he turned 
his attention to the useful and honourable vocation of 
Teacher, and gave instruction in the French language. 

His Christian character had been maturing in the 
riches of a deep personal experience; and the first exer- 
cise of his public gifts occurred whilst on an excursion 
near the sea-shore, in Egg Harbour, Burlington County, 
for the purpose of distributing religious books and tracts. 
He was, after this, frequently led, in fervent simplicity 
and childlike faith, to advocate the cause of his divine 
Master; and discerning Friends perceived that the Lord 
was with him. Stephen Grellet was regularly recorded 
as a minister by Friends of the North Meeting, Phila- 
delphia, in 1798, when he was about 25 years old. 

In 1798, the yellow fever raged with great violence in 
the city of Philadelphia. Stephen Grellet was indefati- 
gable in his efforts to minister to the temporal and spiri- 
tual wants of the sufferers. He went about doing good, 
in the name of the Lord ; and the rich and the poor 
welcomed him as the minister of consolation. In the 
midst of his labours of love, he was himself stricken down 
by the disease, and at one time — to use his own expres- 
sion — he turned to the wall to die. While in this state, 
he felt that he might be called to publish the # Gospel in 
the North, the South, the East, and the "West ; and being- 
discouraged at the thought of returning to life, whilst in 
the enjoyment of a flowing peace, and glorious prospects 
of eternity, he nevertheless entered into a covenant to 
go whithersoever God might send him, implicitly be- 
lieving that, at the close of life, his Heavenly Father 



25 



would bless him with His presence. His life was thus 
spared in great mercy, no doubt that he might make 
known the riches of Divine grace to many immortal souls 
on both continents. God unfolds his purposes by a pro- 
vidence which preserves the lives of His saints, and 
directs their steps through all their pilgrimage. 

Stephen Grellet moved back to New York about the 
middle of 1799, and engaged in mercantile business for 
a livelihood. One of the peculiarities of the Society of 
Friends is that their ministers have no pecuniary com- 
pensation, and hence a resort to secular occupations is 
needful. 

In the year 1800, Stephen Grellet made an extensive 
tour through the Southern States, as far as Georgia, then 
the limit of our confederacy. At that time, an expedition 
into those regions was difficult and dangerous. He rode 
on horseback, and often slept out at night, and was some- 
times for days without convenient food. He and his 
companion adopted the Indian habit of tightening the 
waist with a belt, in order to relieve the gnawings of 
hunger. Some person having presented to Stephen 
Grellet some dried rattlesnakes, as a curiosity, he gave 
them to his companion, who was glad to eat them. 
Many interesting adventures are said to have occurred 
on this journey ; but as no account was published, the 
writer is unable to give any particulars. 

In the following year, 1801, Stephen Grellet travelled 
through New England, and into Canada, doing the work 
of an Evangelist, and preaching the Gospel of the king- 
dom. He thus surveyed our whole country from north 



26 



to south, at the beginning of his ministry, and his large 
soul received impressions of the greatness of its destiny, 
which grew with his years, and which he ever loved to 
contemplate in connection with the spread of pure re- 
ligion throughout our borders and the world. 

It is impossible, in a discourse like this, to give a con- 
nected narrative of all the labours of this good man's 
life. That, indeed, is the work of a biographer. All 
that can be attempted on an occasion like the present, 
is to take a general glance at some of the prominent in- 
cidents in our departed friend's labours. 

While residing in New York, he attended the meeting 
held in Pearl Street, where his ministry was acceptable 
and edifying. He was married, in 1804, to Rebecca Col- 
lins, a sister of our respected townsman, Thomas Collins. 

In 1807, he embarked for Marseilles, on a religious 
visit to Friends and others in the southern part of 
France. An interesting incident occurred on the pas- 
sage. After the ship had entered the Mediterranean, a 
craft of Algerine pirates was discovered bearing down 
upon them. The captain and crew were greatly excited 
and alarmed ; but Stephen Grellet retained the utmost 
composure of mind and trust in God, having a secret 
feeling that the Lord's name would be magnified. The 
pirates drew near and boarded the vessel, overpowering 
the feeble crew without resistance. Just as they were 
about to transfer them in chains to the other vessel, and 
to seize upon the cargo and valuables of the passengers, 
the sun went down below the horizon, and a British 
man-of-war, which had hitherto been hid in the sun's 



27 



rays, was seen in the distance. The pirates immediately 
hurried aboard of their own vessel, and the American 
ship was thus saved. Stephen Grellet often alluded to 
this remarkable providence, and at a private opportunity 
he once made a forcible application of it to some veteran 
Friends, whose minds seemed to need encouragement. 

In 1812, Stephen Grellet felt moved by the Spirit to 
undertake a religious journey to Europe, and he sailed 
for England. On the last day of the year, a meeting 
was held, at his request, for the poor of Spitalfields. An 
immense audience thronged the house, and many per- 
sons were compelled to stand. William Allen says, in 
his diary, " Dear Stephen, though at first interrupted by 
the noise, was favoured to deliver a very impressive ad- 
dress, and stood about an hour and a half." He after- 
wards engaged in supplication. William Forster and 
Elizabeth Fry also addressed the meeting. The large 
concourse appeared interested and grateful, and separated 
in a remarkably quiet manner, contrary to the appre- 
hensions of some, who doubted the expediency of as- 
sembling a crowd of persons of that description. 

In January, 1813, Stephen Grellet was favoured with 
the privilege of visiting the famous Newgate prison. In 
company with William Forster, Wm. Allen, and J. Smith, 
he was allowed to visit four prisoners who were to be 
executed early in the following week. This visit was 
the occasion of turning the attention of Elizabeth Fry 
to the work of ameliorating the condition of prisoners. 
Stephen Grellet endeavoured to impress upon her mind, 
in a tender, personal address, this noble work of philan- 



28 



thropy. After a remarkable visit to the women in 
Newgate, where they witnessed wretchedness and de- 
gradation not to be described (many almost devoid of 
clothing, and children born in prison, who had never 
worn a garment), Stephen Grellet being under appoint- 
ment to dine with Elizabeth Fry, laid their case before 
her, and told her that something must be immediately 
done. This was a help in turning her attention to 
that peculiar channel of great usefulness. She took im- 
mediate measures for the present relief of the prisoners, 
and although for some years she was deterred by cir- 
cumstances from a full dedication to the great work, 
she gave herself heartily up to it when the right time 
arrived, and the results are before the world. 

Stephen Grellet afterwards preached to the prisoners 
of Newgate, in an atmosphere of dreadful odor, truly 
symbolical of moral corruption. But it was his custom 
to go cheerfully wherever God called him. 

Whilst in England, Stephen Grellet visited the Danish 
and Norwegian prisoners of war, who were confined in 
a convict ship. A religious meeting was held on the 
quarter-deck, which the officers attended; and a precious 
opportunity of preaching and prayer was here enjoyed. 
Some of these convicts, already favourable to the prin- 
ciples of Friends, were led, on their return to Norway, 
to establish a meeting of the Society. 

From England, Stephen Grellet passed over to the 
Continent, and made a missionary excursion into Ger- 
man}'. At Munich, in Bavaria, he reported that '-some 
thousands of pious persons in the neighbourhood of 



29 



Munich were awakened to a sense of the importance of 
vital religion, and the inefficacy of mere forms," and 
"had the circulation of the Holy Scriptures much at 
heart."* On this tour, he went as far as Geneva, where 
he held Christian intercourse with Professor Pictet and 
other brethren in the Lord. 

An exceedingly interesting incident is related of 
Stephen Grellet on returning from his mission. Whilst 
travelling through Germany in an open wagon, with a 
loose board seat, over roads which had been cut deeply 
by the heavy artillery wagons, and then frozen over so 
as to be almost impassably rough, he arrived at Pyrmont, 
where he thought it best to stop and to hold a religious 
meeting. Wishing an interpreter, he was directed to a 
little lad, who modestly undertook to do the best he 
could, and who proved on this, and many subsequent 
occasions, remarkably fitted for the task. This German 
boy became, by the grace of God, a Christian, and is 
now one of the most eminent ministers among the 
Friends. In 1846, thirty-two years after the incident 
above related, the German minister came to America on 
a Christian mission, and hastened to Burlington, to visit 
one whom he loved as an Apostle and father. He went 
with Stephen Grellet to his mid-week meeting, where, 
in the course of a sermon, he paid to his aged friend 
the following tribute : " I came to this place without any 
expectation of meeting you on such an occasion as the 
present, having simply come to make a visit of Chris- 
tian and grateful affection to a beloved friend and 
* Allen's Memoirs, i ; 155, 163. 



30 



Father in the Truth, who, many years ago, when in the 
constraining power of the Gospel on a visit to my 
native land, was made instrumental in finding me out, 
a poor wanderer, as a lost sheep from the fold, and in 
turning me from darkness to light, and from the power 
of Satan, I humbly trust, unto my God." 

Stephen Grellet returned from the Continent to 
England in April, 1814. His journey had been under- 
taken in one of the most trying years, for a traveller, 
that could have been selected. In 1813, the Allied 
powers of Europe had combined against Napoleon, and 
war was raging on a frightful scale. The great battles 
of Dresden and Leipsic had been fought; and the Allies 
were now advancing upon Paris. But in doing his 
Master's work, Stephen Grellet shrank not from self- 
denial or danger of any kind. 

The Emperor of Russia and the King of Prussia 
arrived in England from Paris, on June 6 th, 1814 ; and 
the Friends determined to present to them in person 
respectful addresses. The King of Prussia was very 
much hurried, and the only opportunity the deputation 
of Friends had to see him was in the passage through 
which he was to pass to his carriage. " Stephen Grellet 
had only time to say a few words in French, and on 
adverting to some of the Society in his dominions and 
to the Society's testimony against war, the King observed 
that they were excellent people, but without waiting for 
the conclusion of the sentence, said, ' war was necessary 
to procure peace.' "* 

* Wm. Allen, i, 144. 



31 



The interview with the Emperor of Russia, Alexan- 
der I, was more leisurely and satisfactory. The inter- 
view lasted about an hour, during which a great many 
subjects were adverted to. The Emperor stood the 
whole time. He conversed with Stephen Grellet in 
French, about his own personal temptations as emperor ; 
and then, as William Allen relates, " Our dear friend, 
S. Grellet, under the pressure of Gospel love, addressed 
a few sentences to him in French. The Emperor, pressing 
S. Grellet's hands with both of his, was much contrited, 
and with tears in his eyes, said, c These, your words, 
are a sweet cordial to my soul ; they will long be 
engraved upon my heart;' indeed, several times during 
the opportunity, he took one or the other of us by the 
hand."* Stephen Grellet returned to the United States 
in November, 1814. 

In 1816, Stephen Grellet again left his home, and 
visited Hayti, on which island he spent four months. 
He endeavoured to set into operation a system of schools, 
and met with some success. A Bible society was also 
established there. The Emperor Petion received him 
with great cordiality. On one occasion, he preached 
from Petion's palace to the Haytian army, comprising 
about 6000 men, who were arranged in solid, compact 
masses, within hearing of his voice. Some persons, who 
heard him in Hayti, declared, that in his own language 
he was a man of truly fascinating eloquence. His 
labours of love in preaching the Gospel, visiting the 

* For a long account of this interesting interview, see Life of "Win. 
Allen, i, 147-151. 



32 



prisoners and poor, and performing acts of philanthropy 
among the people, caused him to he held in such high 
esteem that, even after the lapse of years, he was still 
spoken of as " Saint Stephen." Going to Demarara, 
where the physician died, Stephen Grellet discharged 
the duties of a physician to the sick, in addition to his 
other benevolent work. 

In 1818, Stephen Grellet projected a long, interesting, 
and laborious religious visit on the Continent of Europe. 
He was instrumental in securing, as his fellow-labourer 
and companion, the excellent and eminent William 
Allen.* These two devoted brethren of the Lord set 
sail from England for Norway on the loth of August, 
1818, and landed at Stavanger, one of the principal 
towns on the Atlantic coast of Norwa}', on the 25th. 
Here they established a system of discipline adapted to 
the circumstances of those professing with Friends ; they 
visited as extensively as possible, and were quite suc- 
cessful in exciting an interest in the circulation of the 
Scriptures. 

On the 1st of September, the Quaker missionaries set 
sail for Christiansand, at the southern extremity of Nor- 
way, where they devoted themselves to the state of edu- 
cation and the poor, for ten or twelve days. They then 
travelled a difficult route, by land, to Christiana, a large 

* This tour, of which Win. Allen gives an account, through Norway, 
Russia, &c, and which was undertaken by him in the capacity of a 
companion to Stephen Grellet, was planned by the latter, who came to 
England with that object in view. See Allen's Memoirs, i, 254, 
268, &c. 



33 



town, situated at the head of the Skager Hack. 
" Norway," says the Diary of William Allen, " seems to 
be made of rocks, which rise from 300 to 500 feet, and 
follow each other in uninterrupted succession, like waves 
of the sea, in the whole course, from Stavenger to Chris- 
tiana." They had an interview with the Governor, held 
meetings, visited prisons, and called the attention of 
many to religious concerns. Their impressions of Nor- 
way were highly favourable to the people ; and, no 
doubt, the remembrances of the people were rich in the 
sympathies and deeds of these men of God. 

Crossing by land from Christiana to Stockholm, the 
missionaries reached the latter place on the 5th of Octo- 
ber, after a journey of a week. At Stockholm, they had 
intercourse with the principal persons of the city, and 
laid their plans of usefulness before them ; they dined in 
company with the English, Eussian, Austrian, and 
Danish ambassadors ; and enjoyed the favour of two in- 
terviews with the King of Sweden. The king took an 
affectionate leave of Stephen Grellet and William Allen, 
presenting to each of them his cheek to kiss. 

From Stockholm, the Friends crossed the Baltic Sea, 
passing near the Aland Islands to Abo, in Finland, and 
thence by the celebrated fortress of Sweaborg to Peters- 
burg. At Sweaborg, they were introduced as two priests. 
William Allen says, in his Diary : " I soon undeceived 
him ; and Stephen explained to them, that I was an 
elder. Hence, taking occasion to describe what we con- 
sider the qualifications of minister and elder among us, 
which gave him a pretty good scope, and he managed it 



34 



extremely well." They also dined at Sweaborg with 
the commandant of the fortress, " Where," says William 
Allen, " we met a large company, many of whom were 
young officers. On Stephen remarking, pleasantly, to 
Colonel Taraschoff, 'That we were men of peace,' he, 
smiling, took off his sword, and put it in the corner of 
the room, and his example was followed by the officers 
around him. The freedom, openness, and hospitality 
we experienced, were remarkable." 

At Petersburg, the travellers remained four months. 
It is impossible to enter into details. They were re- 
ceived with great cordiality by all classes. They had 
interviews with the dignitaries of the city and of the 
empire, with princes and princesses, with bishops and 
archbishops, with ambassadors, with the emperor's minis- 
ters, with counts, barons, generals, physicians, and sena- 
tors, with the Emperor's mother, the Empress, and the 
Emperor himself, Alexander I. They visited schools, 
monasteries, prisons, deaf and dumb institutions, orphan 
asjdums, hospitals, poor houses, and everything that de- 
served the attention of the Christian philanthropist, or 
called for enterprise in relieving the wants or sufferings 
of mankind. In their interview with the Emperor, they 
endeavoured to increase his interest in schools, in prisons, 
and in schemes of general philanthropy. They were 
with him for two hours. " The Emperor," says William 
Allen, " desired that we might have a little pause, for 
mental retirement and inward prayer, and we had a 
short but solemn time of silence. Dear Stephen at length 
kneeled down, and was sweetly engaged in supplication ; 



35 



the Emperor also knelt, and I thought Divine goodness 
was near us. Soon after this, we took our leave, and 
he shook hands with us most affectionately." A second 
interview with the Emperor was held on religious sub- 
jects, and was full of interest. The character of this 
great man appears in an interesting light, viewed in the 
representations of our Quaker brethren. It is not at all 
unlikely that a deep impression was made upon him, at 
these interviews, in regard to personal religion, of which 
he seems to have had some experience ; and when, a few 
years after, the Emperor died, at Taganrog, on the Sea 
of AzofT, the peace which he enjoyed, in his last hours, 
may have been nurtured, under God, by the serious ex- 
hortations, earnest prayers, and Christian example of 
Stephen Grellet and William Allen. The principal 
object, accomplished by the travellers at St. Petersburg, 
was the establishment of schools for the poor, with the 
introduction of lessons from the Scriptures. These les- 
sons were compiled at St. Petersburg, by a committee 
composed of Stephen Grellet, William Allen, and four 
others. " They literally worked at it night and day, so 
that, in rather more than -two weeks, we had it all ready 
to lay before the Emperor, who was so delighted with it, 
that he ordered eight thousand roubles (about 16000) 
to be paid for the cost of one edition." William Allen 
says : " We have sweetly felt, while employed in this 
work, that we were performing a great duty — the conse- 
quences of it here are quite incalculable. The school 
plan will go through Russia, and upon our system." 
At Moscow, the missionary friends pursued their phi- 



36 



lanthropic and religious plans, and they were personally 
objects of no common curiosity. Education, hospitals, 
and the poor occupied much of their attention, as at 
other places. 

From Moscow, the travellers set out for the Crimea, 
for the purpose of visiting a sect of pious people who 
had emigrated from Germany to that district of country, 
and who were supposed to be descendants of the follow- 
ers of John Huss. Two days out from Moscow, they 
visited a General of distinction. When they came to his 
extensive premises, they saw a beautiful house in the 
distance, with a white flag flying above the dome in 
honour of the Quaker guests; and, as they drew near, 
the band of music struck up ! These vanities made our 
travellers " sick at heart," but did not prevent them from 
circulating tracts among the company. Stephen Grellet 
added a word of Christian explanation and exhortation, 
which the General received with favour. 

Having letters from Galitzin to the governors of the 
provinces, our brethren called upon the Governor of 
Tula, who was at the tribunal of the city. As they 
kept their hats on, some of the clerks began to hiss ; and 
when the chief underling asked them why they did not 
pull off their hats, they explained that it was not from 
want of respect, but a matter of religious principle. 
Stephen Grellet said that they had kept their hats on, 
in presence of the Emperor, who had made no objec- 
tions ; and when one of them said that he did not believe 
it, the meek Stephen made no reply. This was the only 
place where the travellers met with uncivil treatment. 



37 



They proceeded on their journey, doing all the good 
they could, visiting public officers and institutions, and 
encouraging a pious heart wherever such was found. In 
their interviews with others, Stephen Grellet was the 
chief speaker, or, as Win. Allen records it, the Mercu- 
rius* After passing some of those great plains, called 
steppes, they crossed the Dneiper, and a short distance 
beyond it, they reached their long-desired point, Ekate- 
rinoslav. Here dwelt a colony of the followers of John 
Huss, called Duhobortsi ; another colony was established 
at Simpheropol ; and several others round about. These 
disciples appeared to hold the great doctrines of Scrip- 
ture, and to agree with the Friends in regard to baptism, 
the ministry, and war. Various other colonies of Luthe- 
rans, Roman Catholics, &c, had been induced to emi- 
grate to the southern part of Russia in view of privileges 
offered by the Emperor, who was desirous of settling the 
country. The Mennonites had eight colonies between 
Ekaterinoslav and Perekop, all whom were visited by 
the two missionaries. The Mennonites, like the 
Duhobortsi, were regarded by them as being nearly 
allied to the Friends. Stephen Grellet preached in most 
of these settlements, and lifted up his voice on the 
steppes of Russia and the banks of the Dneiper in be- 
half of the religion of Christ. 

Our travellers arrived at Perekop on the 3d of June, 
1819, and there being no inn in the town, they were 
kindly received at a private house, whose owner refused to 
accept any remuneration. On their way to Simpheropol, 

* See Acts 14 : 12. 



38 



they observed mountains in the distant horizon, a sight 
they had not seen, since they left Abo, in Finland, a dis- 
tance of nearly 2000 miles. At Simpheropol they found 
a company of the disciples already referred to, who were 
much affected at finding that the religious sentiments 
of the travellers so exactly coincided with their own. 

On their way to Sebastopol, the Friends stopped at 
Batchisarai, where is an establishment of the Jews, of 
the sect called Caraites, or Scripturists. Their abode is 
on the top of high rocks. Stephen Grellet was drawn 
up in a sort of basket, where he had an interesting in- 
terview with the high priest. From this eminence, he 
had the first, and a splendid view of the Black Sea. 

In going to Sebastopol, the travellers left their car- 
riage on the north side, and crossed over the now cele- 
brated harbour in a boat. They had a most cordial 
reception from the military and civil officers, some of 
whom seemed to be very tenderly affected on the subject 
of religion. Oar Quaker friends made two remarks 
about Sebastopol, which show their shrewdness of ob- 
servation, viz. : " Sebastopol is an excellent port, and is 
very advantageously situated on a high hill" No military 
engineer could have described the advantages of that 
stronghold more concisely or accurately. The men of 
peace, after visiting the schools, hospitals, and other 
public institutions, returned to Sirnpheropol and visited 
Theodosia, or Kaffa, from whence they made their way 
back to Perekop. They stopped at Cherson a short 
time, and saw the monument of the great philanthro- 
pist, John Howard, who died a few miles from the city. 



39 



From Cherson, our friends went to Nicolaief and Odessa, 
from whence they took ship to Constantinople. They 
remained at the Turkish capital ten days; and, after 
stopping at Smyrna, they visited Scio, and a number of 
islands in the Archipelago, where they promoted the 
printing and circulation of the Scriptures, and performed 
various offices of Christian love. At Scio, they hired 
a vessel to take them to Athens. On the voyage, they 
had a narrow escape from the pirates who infested those 
seas. It is interesting for us to know that Stephen 
Grellet visited scenes familiar to the Apostle Paul, and 
that, at Athens, he stood on Mars' Hill, in the true spirit 
of a minister of Jesus Christ. His soul, no doubt, sym- 
pathized with the associations of thrilling Christian in- 
terest, and worshipped there, in silent awe, Him, whom 
Paul declared to the curious Athenians. 

Separating, for a time, from his companion, William 
Allen, who stopped at the Island of Malta, Stephen Grellet 
proceeded, in the latter part of 1819, to the Continent. 
His first destination was Italy. He very providentially 
obtained such letters to one of the principal Cardinals at 
Rome, that he enjoyed extraordinary opportunities for 
the objects of his visit. He was treated with great 
courtesy and condescension, and was admitted to places 
where few, if any, strangers had ever been before. On 
one occasion, in going through a convent, he administered 
a gentle rebuke to some of the nuns, who, while at their 
devotions, looked round upon him and laughed, — per- 
haps at his Quaker garb. He was also allowed access to 
the Palace of the Inquisition, where he saw the " Curi- 



40 



osities of Literature," proscribed by the Index Expurga- 
torius, and the records of many a dark deed of the 
Inquisition, which were shut out from the light. These 
volumes of records he saw in the vaults of the building. 
But the most remarkable incident, at Home, was the in- 
terview which the man of God had with the Pope."; 

Before Pope Pius VII, stood Stephen Grellet, meek 
with Gospel innocence, but strong in the purpose of an 
uncorrupted conscience, and a faith that rested on God. 
The Quaker was courteously received by the Pope ; and, 
after friendly salutations, spoke freely and temperately, 
as his custom was, about evils that needed correction. 
This he did in compliance with the Pope's wishes. He 
referred to the convents, the general state of education 
in the country, the restraints upon civil liberty and the 
rights of conscience, and the condition of prisoners and 
the poor. After much conversation on these subjects, 
during which the Pope, who appeared to much personal 
advantage in the eyes of the discerning stranger, men- 
tioned various extenuating circumstances, Stephen Grellet 
arose to depart; but, before going, he felt moved to 
address the Pope, on the great doctrines and duties of 
religion. He meekly but faithfully preached " Jesus 
Christ and Him crucified," unfolding the truths of the 
Beformation in the palace of the Vatican. The Pope 
listened attentively to the strange Quaker minister, with 
solemn face and eyes turned to the ground ; and, when 
the address was concluded, rising from his seat, in a 
kind, respectful manner, he expressed the desire that the 
Lord might bless and protect Stephen Grellet, wherever 



41 



he might go. Thus ended a solemn and interesting in- 
terview between Pio Settimo, the Head of the Eoman 
Hierarchy, and Stephen Grellet, the Apostle of Bur- 
lington, the records of which will only be unfolded at 
the great day. 

From Italy, Friend Grellet proceeded to Germany, and 
visited Munich, Stuttgard, and other places. He had 
an interview with the King of Wurtemberg, whose wife, 
the sister of the Emperor of Russia, had lately deceased. 
From Germany, he journeyed to Geneva, where he re- 
joined his friend, William Allen, and where both were 
refreshed at private meetings with some of the pastors 
and brethren. Returning to England, he went, with his 
old fellow-traveller, to Ireland, to attend the Yearly 
Meeting in Dublin ; after which, he set sail for America, 
and reached home in August, 1820, having been absent 
more than two years. 

This was a remarkable excursion. It was, certainty, 
among the longest missionary tours ever taken by a 
minister of Christ. Its incidents were of a remarkable 
character ; its opportunities of usefulness were unusu- 
ally favoured by Providence ; and the impressions made 
by personal intercourse, and the good done by personal 
labour, will make it memorable to the end of time. 

In the spring of 1831, Stephen Grellet felt that duty 
required him to make another excursion on the continent 
of Europe, for the welfare of his fellow-men, and the 
glory of his Master. After remaining in England about 
a year, he again set out with his faithful friend, Wm. 
Allen, for the Continent. Their route was from Rotter- 



42 



dam, through Amsterdam, Dusseldorf, Hanover, Bruns- 
wick, Magdeburg, Berlin, Wittemburg, Leipsic, Hern- 
hutt, Prague, Vienna, Augsburg, Stuttgard, at which 
latter place the travellers separated. Stephen Grellet 
proceeded through Strasburgh and Geneva, to visit the 
Waldenses. The Quaker missionary was gladly received 
by these witnesses of the truth. Hemmed in by moun- 
tain ramparts, and protected by an hereditary name of 
faith, virtue, and suffering, the Waldenses were enjoying, 
at this time, a season of outward repose. They needed, 
however, the sympathy of Christians to assist in pro- 
moting improvements of education and of social life ; 
and the kind personal interest of Stephen Grellet, as 
well as his influence in calling the attention of other 
Friends to their condition, had an encouraging effect 
upon this isolated Christian community. 

Passing from Turin to Bayonne, in France, Stephen 
Grellet and Wm. Allen again met, and travelled together 
into Spain. They reached Madrid in February, 1833, and 
were received with burdensome attentions. The King 
had sent messages before them to prevent their being 
molested, and the populace came in throngs from villages 
to see the persons thus honoured. At Madrid, they 
visited all the public institutions, and sent to the King 
a report, calling his attention to the great amount of 
mendicity in Spain, the condition of the peasants, the 
state of the prisons, and the existence of slavery in the 
colonies. They were admitted to an audience with the 
King and Queen, which lasted about half an hour, when 
they took a respectful leave, " under a precious feeling 



43 



of the support of their Divine Master." From Madrid 
they went to Valencia and Barcelona, to visit the prisons 
and other public institutions of those cities ; and, having 
finished their labours of love, they returned through 
Madrid, Bayonne, and Paris, to England, in April, 1834. 

Before his return home, at the Yearly Meeting of 
Friends, in May, " Stephen Grellet had an opportunity 
fully to relieve his mind; his communication was very 
remarkable, rising brighter and brighter towards the 
close." "William Allen also states that, "on the last day 
of the meeting, Stephen rose and delivered a parting ex- 
hortation, which was remarkably solemn and impressive ; 
to some he addressed the language of warning, and he 
had sweet encouragement for the aged and for the 
tender-visited minds. In the silence at the close, there 
was a deep feeling of solemnity."* The next clay, at a 
meeting of ministers and elders, " dear Stephen spoke 
in a remarkable manner — it was indeed a faithful com- 
munication. We felt the drawing of a father's love, and 
after a time of silence, Stephen knelt in supplication. 
It was a favoured opportunity."* This was the last time 
that Stephen Grellet met his English brethren in public. 
He never visited England again. He sailed for Phila- 
delphia in July, and reached home in August, 1834. 

On his return from Europe, in 1834, he remained at 
home, with the exception of visits to neighbouring meet- 
ings, until 1837, when he visited Ohio and Indiana. In 
1838, he went to New York and Rhode Island, and 
again in 1842; in 1839, to Maryland and North Caro- 

* Vol. ii, 318. 



44 



lina; in 1843, to Maryland; and in 1846, to New York 
and Maryland. After this, his physical infirmities did 
not allow him to go far from home, and he spent the re- 
maining years of his life in the midst of a community 
that revered his character and his works. Although 
not so much in public as in former years, he was not 
idle. He carried on an extensive correspondence on the 
Continent of Europe, and endeavoured to improve the 
singularly favoured opportunities which he had enjoyed 
of forming acquaintances in almost every European 
kingdom. During his four visits to Europe, he is be- 
lieved to have visited every country on the Continent, 
except perhaps Portugal and Denmark. Such a man 
had a European fame ; and a letter from Stephen Grel- 
let, was a passport even to kings and dignitaries of 
kingdoms. 

Innumerable persons have received spiritual benefit 
from him, as visitors at his house. " Thither the large- 
hearted, the benevolent, and the truly good of every 
creed would go. They would be charmed and instructed 
by his Christian circumspection and wisdom. They 
would each hear some striking narrative fitted to their 
peculiar case. They would see a halo around him not 
to be assumed, or described. But, in addition, they 
would find themselves in an unexpected moment sitting 
in stillness, solemnized by a sense of the presence of the 
omnipresent Father of spirits; and then they would 
hear most apostolic preaching, singularly adapted to 
their time of need. Many a Christian minister, thus 
refreshed in the midst of a weary pilgrimage, has gone 



45 



on his way with renewed faith and strength, thanking 
God, and taking courage. 

"The most distinguished men of his own Society, when 
visiting America, evinced, as they entered his house, 
that they felt it to be no ordinary privilege. When 
Joseph John Gurnet first stepped within his door, he 
was visibly impressed with something approaching to 
awe, and felt that he was indeed beneath the roof of 
Stephen Grellet." 

The late revered Charles Chauncet, who possessed 
much knowledge of human nature, and whose great 
heart could appreciate Stephen Grellet, highly valued 
the opportunities of Christian intercourse with this holy 
man. He cherished his friendship to the last, and loved 
him from the crown of his head to the soles of his feet. 

Few men, indeed, ever received so universal homage. 
Stephen Grellet belonged to that eminent class of Chris- 
tians — Wilberforce, Thornton, Simeon, Robert Hall, Jay, 
Chalmers, Gurney, Alexander — whose spirit and lives 
adorn the annals of Christianity, and who are regarded 
with reverence by all sects in the Church, and all par- 
ties in the world. Happy the man on whom the favour 
of God rested in so remarkable a manner, and who was 
commissioned to do so much good, in so many spheres, 
to so many persons, for so long a period ! The fight 
fought, the course finished, the faith kept, his is the 
crown of righteousness, from the hands of the righteous 
Judge ! 

In bodily presence, Stephen Grellet, without having 



46 



special advantages of nature, was a good specimen of 
man. He was about the medium height, erect in per- 
son, and rather slender. His bright eye, of a quick dis- 
cerning glance, his large aquiline nose, his goodly fore- 
head, and his firm tread, gave the impression of the 
presence of no ordinary person. A true Frenchman in 
politeness, he was quite a model of the courteous and 
aifable, in his manners and general intercourse. There 
was a blessing in his smile, which made the heart glad. 
Instead of claiming deference from others, he anticipated 
it by his quiet, unaffected and universal condescension. 
His muscular strength was uncommon. No one could 
do harder work, or deal a harder blow ; and his friends 
used to say pleasantly, that it was well he was a man of 
peace. His strength of constitution was tested by his 
numerous and trying journeyings in every clime ; and 
his well-developed and hardy frame seemed, even at 
fourscore years, to resist with unusual tenacity, the en- 
croachments of disease. He walked among us like a 
patriarch, whose very presence was a remembrancer of 
another world, and whose character reflected dignity and 
awe even upon his body of dust. 

In attempting a general estimate of Stephen G reliefs 
character, the writer feels his incompetency for the 
task. 

As to intellect, Stephen Grellet would not be called 
a remarkable man. His mind was not great, but it was 
endowed with excellent powers. His early education 
was of great advantage to him. In addition to a good 



47 



knowledge of Latin, lie possessed some acquaintance 
with the Greek ; and could make himself understood in 
the German and Spanish. The French being his ver- 
nacular, and the English the language of his adopted 
country, he was more or less familiar with six tongues — 
which cannot be said of many people. He had a very 
inquisitive mind. He was interested about almost every- 
thing. Agriculture, horticulture, commerce, the general 
state of the world, the incidents of home affairs, espe- 
cially religious, engaged his thoughts and conversation. 
His memory was a very retentive one, and never became 
impaired. His recollections of his youth and of his 
travels were vivid to the last. His mind was very well 
stored. He was fond of reading history, biography, 
travels, and books that enlarged the range of one's 
thoughts. So that he was a man of great respectability 
as to intellectual power and cultivation. 

His social traits were becoming to a minister and a 
Christian. He was rather retiring in his disposition, 
and, perhaps, even grave; but he was friendly to all, 
and easily accessible in social intercourse, when his com- 
pany was sought. He was liberal in assisting those who 
were in need, particularly his relatives in France, whose 
property had been confiscated, and whom he largely 
helped with annual offerings. He was a faithful disci- 
ple in regard to the Mammon of unrighteousness; and 
none, who had a proper plea, called upon him in vain. 
He loved the poor, and sympathized with all in distress. 
He was much with the sick and the afflicted. His 



48 



warm heart made him truly a minister of consolation. 
The writer remembers with gratitude the fresh and 
tender sympathies and words of love, expressed by Ste- 
phen Grellet on the occasion of a severe domestic be- 
reavement, some years ago. The excellent social traits 
of this good man made an impression on all who were 
privileged to know him. His interest in children showed 
the genial sympathies of his nature; and the little ones 
and youth were in return fond of his society. In his 
domestic relations, as husband and father, no man was 
ever more tender in his devotion. He loved his home 
and his kindred; and delighted in contributing to their 
happiness by constant and assiduous attentions in the 
most minute particulars. 

His religious character was unquestionably elevated 
and pure. There was an unction about him that indi- 
cated the man of God. It has been often said that a 
Frenchman is excellent stock on which to engraft reli- 
gion ; and the fruit-bearing Stephen Grellet verified the 
saying. Like the orange-tree, blossoms and buds and 
fruit were upon his branches; and his leaf continued 
green in the winter of old age. 

Entire consecration to God was visible in his whole 
deportment and life. Body, soul and spirit seemed all 
given up. He lived as though he belonged to God. This 
kind of self-renunciation is among the first and last fruits 
of piety. It is the result of faith. It is the work of the 
Spirit. It is the manifestation of the renewed nature. 
Christian self-denial does not consist in the style of the 



49 



garment, in the use of plain language, in the control of 
the countenance, in the general demeanor of the person, 
or in staid forms of social intercourse. Kules for the 
outer man cannot change the heart. However innocent 
or laudable these may be, they do not constitute reli- 
gion ; nor are the}" in any true sense its evidences. 
God requires self-denial of spirit, the humbling of pride, 
the putting off of lusts, the restraint of secret desires, 
the purification of motives, the inward development of 
righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Ghost. Ste- 
phen Grellet was an eminent illustration of the reign- 
ing power of grace. It was the sanctity of his cha- 
racter that commended him to all denominations of 
Christians. He "walked with God." He was "a 
living sacrifice." His personal religion harmonized with 
his reputation and with his works of benevolence. Oh, 
for more self-denying, devoted Christians, in all our 
churches, like Stephen Grellet, whose lives are epistles, 
whose every action is a text ! 

A low estimate of himself was characteristic of his 
religion. He was much in the dust, bewailing his 
nature of depravity and body cf death. This deep 
self-abasement in the midst of a life of much public 
prominence shows that grace had worked strongly in 
his heart, and that he was a man of prayer. He looked 
back in abhorrence to the time when he was in an 
unconverted state, and he adored the condescension of 
his heavenly Father in forgiving his sins and restoring 
him to his friendship and love. 

His exaltation of Jesus Christ was a precious testimony 



50 



to the genuineness of his religion. The writer was 
always struck, from his earliest intercourse with Stephen 
Grellet, with his tender magnifying of the Eedeemer. 
His love to the Saviour partook of that personal inti- 
macy and intense devotedness which characterized Paul. 
It is not often seen, in the same degree, among Chris- 
tians of any name. He made everything of Christ. 
The blood of the Lamb of God was alone relied upon to 
take away sin. To him " to live was Christ-" The 
teaching, priestly, reigning offices of the Eedeemer 
were acknowledged in the spirit and power of daily 
religious experience. With Paul he earnestly felt : " I 
am crucified with Christ; nevertheless I live; yet not 
I, but Christ liveth in me ; and the life which I now 
live in the flesh, I live by the faith of the Son of God, 
who loved me, and gave himself for me." Gal. 2 : 20. 
Of Stephen Grellet, it seemed indeed true, that "his 
life was hid with Christ in God." Col. 3:3. 

Love for the Scriptures was another trait of Stephen 
Grellet's religious character. "The Bible, as the only 
rule of faith and practice," is a distinctive part of the 
creed of Protestant evangelical churches. " All Scrip- 
ture is given by inspiration of God ; and is profitable 
for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in 
righteousness; that the man of God may be perfect, 
thoroughly furnished unto all good works." 2 Tim. 3 : 
1G, IT. The class of orthodox Friends to whom Ste- 
phen Grellet belonged, are believed to entertain senti- 
ments in regard to the Bible which are common to the 
churches of the Reformation. Without giving up their 



51 



views of the " light within/' they practically make it 
subordinate to the holy oracles. A distinguished Pro- 
fessor in one of our Theological Seminaries was lately 
engaged in conversation on this point with an old 
acquaintance, who is an eminent member of the Society 
of Friends. After exchanging thoughts on the subject 
with great Christian frankness, the decisive question 
was asked by the Professor, " Suppose your ' inward 
light' manifests itself in opposition to the Scriptures ?" 
The Quaker immediately replied, with grave emphasis, 
"Then it comes from the devil." Whilst too many 
among the Friends in this country either reject the 
Scriptures as not being of divine authority, and thus 
fall into heresy, or otherwise exalt the inward light 
above the Scriptures, and thus come short in the spirit 
and practice of true piety, the class to which Stephen 
Grellet, Joseph John Gurney, and their associates be- 
long, take the Bible as an inspired record, whose doc- 
trines and words are to be implicitly believed and 
obeyed. Stephen Grellet loved the Bible. It afforded 
matter of meditation day and night. Its statutes were 
his song in the house of his pilgrimage ; Ps. 119 : 54. 
Having given it honour and homage in his daily walk, 
the word increased in light to his understanding; and 
the Spirit of God blessed it to the edification, sanctifica- 
tion, comfort, and support of his soul. 

A desire for the good of others was a manifest part of 
his religion. His piety was " full of mercy and good 
fruits." Stephen Grellet "'went about doing good," 
striving to follow the example of his Master. An extra- 



52 



ordinary course of labours filled the measure of his days. 
Though meek, he was enterprising. Standing ready for 
the call of duty, his time and his talents were devoted 
to any service which God seemed to designate as his. 
Keligion requires its disciples by the very law of its life 
to seek the welfare of others. Its divine benevolence 
commands " the Gospel to be preached to every creature." 
Christians are under obligations to promulgate it as the 
hope of the world. Stephen Grellet's earnest desire was 
to advance the cause of the Redeemer among men. 
This led him to renounce personal ease, and forego for 
many years, the endearments of home. This carried 
him to Norway, the Crimea, and Hayti, a great tri- 
angle of benevolent labour, whose sides include king- 
doms and seas, and the demonstration of whose problem 
was love to God and man. Many an inquirer has been 
turned by his instrumentality into the path of righteous- 
ness. Many a sick one and prisoner have been visited. 
Many of the poor in different countries and nations have 
been comforted. Many a youth has been brought within 
the instruction of schools, where the Scriptures find ad- 
mittance. Many a dignitary and crowned head have 
been impressed with the benignity of a Christian exam- 
ple, the power of Divine truth, and the duty of minister- 
ing to the wants of their subjects. 

" Unlimited by creed or cliine, thine was the Christian plan, 
The motto thine — the world's my home, my brother every man." 

Stephen Grellet had a great soul of love, which went 
out in earnest lonaincrs and labours for the welfare of 



53 



his fellow-creatures. His philanthropy did not degene- 
rate into fanaticism, as is the case with too many. His 
general spirit and conduct inspired confidence, and thus 
he gained access to all, and was useful everywhere. 
Blessed is the man, who has the wisdom from above, 
" first pure, then peaceable, gentle and easy to be 
entreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without par- 
tiality and without hypocrisy." James 3 : 17. 

His religion, like true charity, began at home, and 
showed its sweet manifestations there. " It is impossible 
to convey an adequate conception of the sanctity which 
reigned in his well-ordered dwelling. Daniel Wheeler 
writes, that to be there, reminded him of a nest of turtle- 
doves." 

As A preacher, Stephen Grellet laboured under the 
disadvantage of not speaking in his vernacular tongue. 
His French accent diminished the effect of his discourses, 
especially upon those who were not accustomed to hear 
him. His preaching was plain, practical, direct ; it was 
free from all flourishes of rhetoric and arts of this world. 
Truly simple-hearted and guileless in his own religious 
experience, he endeavoured to lead others in the same 
ways in which he himself had trod. His discourses were 
evangelical. He preached salvation by grace, and held 
up Jesus Christ as the sinners only hope. He quoted 
often and accurately from the Holy Scriptures, which 
he read diligently and with an appreciation which 
seemed to increase with years. Pie would sometimes 
elucidate the English version by referring to the Latin 



54 



and French translations. The character of his addresses 
was various, being sometimes to Christians and some- 
times to the unconverted, but perhaps oftener to the 
latter class. He was familiar loUh doctrine, and often 
gave expositions of it, according to the school of Friends 
to which he belonged. He early detected the heresies 
which were creeping into the Church, and foresaw the 
evils likely to arise from them. In the more recent 
trials among the Friends, his vision was clear and his 
faith unwavering. He " knew in whom he had be- 
lieved," and gave place, "no not for an hour," to the 
spirit of opposition that assumed the office of the " ac- 
cuser of the brethren." 

Although firm in his attachment to his own views of 
doctrine, he was not a controversialist, strictly so called. 
He was a man of an inoffensive spirit. Christian mode- 
ration was the mould of his thoughts. He seemed to 
act upon the principle, " giving no offence in anything 
that the ministry be not blamed." 2 Cor. 6:3. He 
endeavoured, as far as it was " possible, to live peaceably 
with all men." Kom. 12 : 18. He was a truly Catholic 
Quaker, and loved Christians of every name, wherever 
he saw the image of Christ. But he never compromised 
his principles. During a ministry of fifty-seven years, 
he never wavered from the religious views he first enter- 
tained ; and his influence in keeping the faith among 
Friends was strong and decisive. Whilst it is the clear 
conviction of the writer that Stephen Grellet believed 
and practised the great truths of the Gospel, there were 
undoubtedly some peculiarities of creed on minor points, 



55 



which are not to be found in the Presbyterian Confes- 
sion of Faith or in the Articles of the Church of England. 
The grave of such a man, however, is no place for the 
discussion of nice ecclesiastical diversities. Agreeing 
substantially as he did, in the doctrinal views of all 
evangelical Christians, I hail to him in his last resting- 
place, in their name, as a Father beloved, and a faithful 
Minister of our Lord Jesus Christ. 

A short notice of his last sickness and death, is 
proper to the occasion. For the last fifteen years, he 
had been subject to an acute disease, which often thrilled 
his body with agony. His pains at times seemed be- 
yond the endurance of nature. But the good man had 
the help of his blessed Master in all his trials. With the 
utmost meekness and patience, he bowed his head before 
the chastisements of his Heavenly Father. He used to 
say to those around him, that it was " good to be af- 
flicted," Ps. 119 : 71; and that without chastening we 
were " bastards, and not sons," Heb. 12:8. When the 
paroxysms of disease came upon him, he would lift up 
his heart to Heaven in ejaculatory prayer. The most 
endearing sonship seemed to be the relation he loved to 
contemplate as existing towards God. Murmuriug was 
excluded by his habits of peaceful submission and praise. 
Thus his days passed on in the fear of the Lord, and in 
the nurture of a Christian character he was getting 
ready for heaven. 

On the last Sabbath but one of his life, he was privi- 
leged to be able to attend meeting. In the early part of 



56 



the assembling together, he arose with the grace of God 
apparently upon him, and with great solemnity and 
earnestness dwelt upon the words, " 1 have fought a 
good fight ; I have finished my course ; I have kept the 
faith. Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of 
righteousness." Shortly after, a paroxysm of pain com- 
pelled him to retire from the meeting — the only time in 
his life that such an emenrencv had occurred. It niisrht 
have been an intimation to him that he was soon to 
withdraw from all sanctuary privileges on earth. In 
fact, he never entered the meeting-house again, until his 
frail body was brought there by sorrowing friends to hear 
what God would say before depositing it in the earth. 

On retiring to his home, he felt that his end was 
drawing near. The words of Scripture on which he had 
preached, were much on his mind, and the loved ones 
around him began to realize their solemn application. On 
one occasion, he said, " There is not only peace, but 
peace and joy in believing — great joy." As his physical 
pains increased, every thrill of the body was answered 
in words of love by the soul. His constant exclamations 
were such as, " Dear Father !"' ;; Oh, my Saviour \" 
" Lord, help me !" and when in the extremities of tried, 
but not tired, patience, he would pray that his sufferings 
might pass away, if it were God's will ; he invariably 
repeated, ■'•'not my will, but thine be done." On Friday 
he no longer spoke, but feebly expressed a few desires 
by the motions of the hand. On Saturday, the 16th of 
November, 1855, in the Sod year of his age, the old 
Christian sweetly fell asleep in Jesu 



57 



A large concourse attended his funeral. Ministers, 
elders, and friends came from a distance in obedience to 
their hearts' emotions. A deep awe prevailed as the 
body was taken from the dwelling to the house of God. 
Three women delivered their testimony at this solemn 
opportunity. No others spoke, although a number of 
male preachers were present. Thus it was ordered that, 
as the dear man, the first time he entered a meeting- 
house, was impressed with the truth of Friends' princi- 
ples under the exhortation of females, so they, too, felt 
called upon to minister the Word of Life on the occasion 
of his last appearance, in death, amidst the assembled 
people. It was experienced by many that the Divine 
presence was sweetly manifested in the house. The 
same solemnity was witnessed in the procession to the 
burying-ground, and at the ground itself. And weeping 
and sorrowing Friends were comforted at the grave of 
Stephen Grellet. 

Well, well might they be ! 

Aged warrior, thou hast fought a good fight ! The 
strife of the battle-field is exchanged for heavenly peace. 
The same Divine Spirit that rested upon the Saviour at 
the baptism of Jordan, and gave strength in the tempta- 
tion, assisted the disciple against all the assaults of 
spiritual foes. 

Death has terminated a life of great labour in the 
service of God, and of much personal suffering. His 
weary feet shall no more tread the path of toil ; or the 
body groan again with pain. Animated by a bright and 
joyful hope, which is now fruition, he ran with patience 



58 



the race that was set before him, and has finished his 
course. 

His steadfast maintenance of Christian doctrine was 
a noble testimony to God, the Church, and the world. 
Over his grave, let disciples learn to persevere in the 
good old way. In the heavenly habitation, undisturbed 
by error, the whole brotherhood of saints and angels live 
and serve amidst the visions of unchanging truth. 

The Crown of Righteousness is laid up for that meek 
and pallid and corrupting brow. Venerated patriarch, 
thy God is the God of the living ! When thy body of 
dust shall arise from the grave where thou sleepest, with 
the incorruption of the resurrection, the Lord, the right- 
eous Judge, shall give thee the prepared crown and the 
glorv of an endless life ! 

Brethren, the grace and providence of God, signalized 
in His sainted servant, should receive from us some 
special and distinct appreciation, however imperfect. 
At the risk of a little repetition, which may be justly 
claimed and allowed, let us notice briefly the manifesta- 
tions of Divine favour in these two particulars. 

When Stephen Grellet passed from the sacraments, 
ceremonies, and confessional of the Roman hierarchy, to 
become an unbeliever, God did not desert the young 
man. His conversion, considered in its antecedents, its 
incidents, and its consequences, was a very remarkable 
one. There evidently appeared some great design in 
calling him from darkness into light. The mighty 
change wrought in the unbeliever's heart was through 



59 



grace. His conversion was by the grace of God, who 
hath " predestinated us unto the adoption of children by 
Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of 
his will, to the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he 
hath made us accepted in the Beloved; in whom we 
have redemption through his blood, even the forgive- 
ness of sins, according to the riches of his grace." Eph. 1 : 
5, 6, 7. Grace anointed Stephen Grellet for his work. 
"When it pleased God, who separated him from his 
mother's womb, and called him by his grace, to reveal 
his Son in him, that he might preach him among the 
heathen, immediately he conferred not with flesh and 
blood." Gal. 1 : 15,16. He obeyed the call. The young 
soldier was not only changed into a spiritual warrior, but 
he was raised up to the rank of an exemplar and cap- 
tain of the host. Eminent piety is the mark of eminent 
favour. The way he was led was the everlasting way. 
He was kept from falling, for God's " grace was sufficient" 
for him. 2 Cor. 12 : 9. He received new supplies all 
along his pilgrimage, out of the Divine " fulness, and 
grace for grace." John 1 : 16. He could say emphati- 
cally, "by the grace of God, I am what I am." 1 Cor. 
15 : 10. In all his labours for God, he had the testi- 
mony of Paul, " I laboured more abundantly than they 
all : yet not I, but the grace of God that was in m£ ; and 
his grace bestowed upon me was not in vain." 1 Cor. 
15 : 10. Stephen Grellet was the child of grace. Grace 
led him to holiness, to usefulness, to happiness. Grace 
cheered him in his earthly pilgrimage ; grace ministered 
peace in his dying hour ; grace crowns him with hea- 
venly beatitude. 



60 



Stephen Grellet was not less the child of Providence. 
God, in designing him for a great service, took care of 
him from his birth at Limoges, to his death at Burling- 
ton. " Oh, how great is thy goodness, which thou hast 
laid up for them that fear thee; which thou hast 
wrought for them that trust in thee before the sons of 
men !" Ps. 31 : 19. 

The Providence of God was so directed as to give 
Stephen Grellet influence. His birth in high rank and 
wealth, his service among the body-guards of the un- 
fortunate Louis XVI., his entering the army of the con- 
federate Princes at Coblentz, his associations with the 
Roman Catholic Church, all threw around the Quaker 
an air of the romantic and marvellous, that caused him 
to be regarded as no inconsiderable personage. These 
incidental peculiarities, of themselves of little account, 
gave much eclat when united with a genuine Christian 
character, and with arduous labours of philanthropy. 
His knowledge of the French, too, enabled him to fulfil 
his mission at the Courts of Europe, and to hold inter- 
course on the subjects of his inquiries wherever he went; 
whilst his hailing from free and distant America, as his 
adopted country, no doubt increased in the eyes of many, 
the influence arising from his self-denying work. In no 
country, it may be added, more than in America, was 
his great influence felt and appreciated. Stephen Grellet 
realized the promise, " He that followeth after righteous- 
ness and mercy, findeth life, righteousness, and honour." 
Prov. 21 : 21. 

In addition to the more adventitious circumstances of 



61 



his early life, Providence provided for the training and 
discipline of his character. His early education in the 
Military School at Lyons, not only developed his intel- 
lect, but trained his body to hardy endurance. His ser- 
vice near the person of a king, enlarged his knowledge 
of the world, brought him in contact with life in some 
of its unusual forms, and cultivated his acquaintance 
with human nature more than if he had remained at 
Limoges. His marching into Germany, and his military 
experience in the camp, his escape through Holland, his 
voyage to Demarara and thence to New York, tended 
to stimulate enterprise, to give him world-wide views, 
to keep up his interest in Europe, and to prepare him 
to undertake the various protracted journeyings which 
God had in store for him. Like David, " he went on 
and grew great ; and the Lord God of hosts was with 
him." 2 Sam. 5 : 10. 

The deliverances experienced show the watchful 
thoughts of Providence concerning him. The multitude 
of dangers in the path of Stephen Grellet could only be 
surmounted through the intervention of special Divine 
protection. Besides his deliverance from death in the 
army of the Princes — at the time he was taken prisoner, 
and about to be shot — during a terrific storm at sea — 
under the ravages of yellow fever — in the presence of 
the Algerine pirates, and in sight of pirates in the 
Grecian Archipelago, — besides these escapes, there is a 
long record, undisclosed to men, throughout his tours in 
Norway, Sweden, Finland, Russia, Turkey, Greece, 
Italy, Switzerland, Germany, Holland, France, Spain, 



62 



Hayti, and other countries, of deliverance at the hand 
of God, on sea and on land, from robbery, sickness, 
accident, violence, the infections of prisons, the spies of 
police, the raging heat, and the manifold contingencies 
of death, seen and known only by the All-seeing. 
Surely, " the steps of a good man are ordered by the 
Lord." Ps. 37 : 23. " Because he hath set his love 
upon me, therefore will I deliver him. I will be with 
him in trouble; I will deliver him and honour him. 
With long life will I satisfy him, and show him my sal- 
vation." Ps. 91 : 14, 15, 16. 

The Providence of God opened to Stephen Grellet 
opportunities of extensive usefulness. Opportunities form 
the man ; opportunities are formed for the man ; oppor- 
tunities make the great man. Opportunities come from 
God. Paul, in giving an account of his missionary 
tour, " rehearsed all that God had done with them, and 
how He had opened the door of faith to the Gentiles." 
Acts 14 : 27. Thus also the Apostle determined to 
" tarry at Ephesus until Pentecost, for a great and 
effectual door was opened" unto him there. 1 Cor. 16 : 
8, 9. " Furthermore," says Paul, " when I came to 
Troas to preach Christ's Gospel, a door was opened unto 
me of the Lord." 2 Cor. 2 : 12. The experience of 
Stephen Grellet was of the same precious sort. Provi- 
dence was his forerunner as a Missionary among the 
nations. God made ready the way for his preaching to 
the poor at Spitalfields, in the Norwegian convict ship, 
and among the benighted inquirers in Germany and in 
Russia. God opened a door for him to go into Newgate 



63 



prison, and there originate schemes of benevolence, 
whose fame afterwards concentrated on sweet Elizabeth 
Fry. The same God, who has the hearts of all men 
and of kings in his hands, introduced the pious Quaker 
to dignitaries of the Church and of the State, and to 
the Pope who unites the two in one. Kings stood up 
in his presence, and received his messages of love with 
gratitude, and also knelt down with him in supplication 
to the King of kings. Greater opportunities of useful- 
ness have been seldom enjoyed than by Stephen Grellet. 
Providence was on his side. " For thou, Lord, wilt 
bless the righteous ; with favour wilt thou compass him 
as a shield." Ps. 5 : 12. Thou "hast brought him forth 
also into a large place." Ps. 18 : 19. " Thou hast set 
him on high, because he hath known thy name." Ps. 
91 : 14. 

A dying Christian, in magnifying the ways of Pro- 
vidence towards himself, once uttered the expression, 
" Write upon my tomb, the Providence of God teas my in- 
heritance." Providence is the inheritance of all the 
saints, for " all things are yours." 1 Cor. 3 : 22. But its 
favours and its care are more signally manifested to 
some than to others. Of whom could it be said more 
emphatically than of Stephen Grellet, " the Providence 
of God was his inheritance ?" 

Thus living, with the Spirit of God working within, 
and the Providence of God working without, in his be- 
half, Stephen Grellet was revered and useful among 
men. The Divine favour gave him holiness, happiness, 
usefulness, and honour. 



64 



The good and the wise are fast departing from us. 
Every denomination of Christians is losing, year by year, 
those whose places can never be supplied. Who, among 
the Friends, can ever be expected to occupy the position 
of him, whose face shall never more be seen among the 
living ? On this occasion, I call to mind some of the 
eminent Friends who have been removed from earth 
within the last few years. There was the worthy and 
the dignified Samuel Emlen. I behold, walking to the 
meeting-house, the stately form of Abigail Barker, a 
Deborah in Israel, and a leader of the host. There is 
old Nathaniel Coleman, an Israelite in whom there was 
no guile, and his wife Elizabeth, the sweet, retiring 
Christian woman, and preacher. John Gummere, the 
man of science, and the man of God, of high mental and 
moral discernment, of amiable sensibilities, and serene 
in the simplicity of Christian faith. William Allinson 
was among the number, upright as a pillar in the house 
of God, and of incorrupt integrity with men. Edith 
Laurie, the lovely and the purified — my wife's friend, 
and mine, adorned with every maiden grace, and fresh 
and sweet with the fragrance of every Christian virtue. 
The venerable John Cox, a preacher of righteousness, 
and a true Christian gentleman of the good old school. 
John Griscom, the man of learning, the teacher, and the 
philanthropist. The sociable and patient Susanna J. 
Smith, blind herself, and giving light to others. Sibyl 
Allinson, meek, self-denying and accomplished, an or- 
nament of her sex and of her sect. And, not least, 
though last, Margaret M. Smith, a Dorcas in Israel. 



65 



whose waking thoughts were on doing good, and whose 
very dreams were of charity and Heaven. My cata- 
logue stops for want of time, not space. Conspicuous 
among them all, my eye rests once more upon Stephen 
Grellet, the Christian missionary of two hemispheres, 
great in the service of God with childlike humility, and 
everywhere uttering angel's words of " peace on earth 
and good will to man." 

But they are all no more ! No more here. Graves ! 
ye contain but the mortal part of immortality! I 
seem to hear, breaking the silence of the sepulchre, 
glorious words from you all : " I have fought a good fight ; 
I have finished my course ; I have kept the faith. 
Henceforth, there is laid up for me a crown of righteous- 
ness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give me 
at that day, and not to me only, but unto all them also 
that love his appearing !" 



NOTE. 



The following note, prepared for page 26, was reserved for the Ap- 
pendix, on account of its length. 

Isaac Collins, the father of Mrs. Grellet, was a man of great 
usefulness, and of some eminence in his day. He was for a time 
" Printer to King George III, for the Province of New Jersey." In 
1771, he commenced publishing an Almanac, which was continued 
for 26 years. He also published a newspaper, called the " New 
Jersey Gazette/' which was continued until 1786, embracing the 
entire period of the American Revolution. Among the excellent 
works from his press about this time, was Baxter's Everlasting Saint's 
Rest. He also published, about 1790, the first Quarto Edition of the 
Bible, issued in America. This edition received the warm recom- 
mendation and patronage of the first General Assembly of the Presby- 
terian Church, at its meeting in Philadelphia, in 1789. The General 
Assembly appointed a committee, of which Dr. Witherspoon was one, 
to assist Mr. Collins in revising proof sheets, &c. ; and also appointed 
a committee of 16 to bring the matter before all the Presbyteries, who 
were directed to appoint persons in every congregation to obtain sub- 
scriptions to Mr. Collins' Edition. — Minutes, p. 13. 

During Mr. Collins' residence in Trenton, he assisted in founding 
the Trenton Academy, where he educated his fourteen children — thus 
giving to them, in connection with a religious training, the best in- 
heritance of a father's heart. Isaac Collins was a religious man, and 
for several years Clerk of the Chesterfield Monthly Meeting of Friends. 
From 1796 to 1808, he lived in New York, and in the latter year 
moved to Burlington, where he died in 1817. His first wife, the 
mother of his children, was Rachel Budd, daughter of Thomas and 
Rebecca Budd. His second wife was Deborah Morris, daughter 
of Margaret Morris, and the widow of Benjamin Smith. 

Rebecca Grellet was the oldest child of Thomas and Rachel 
Collins. She has an only daughter, Rachel. May the richest 
blessing of Heaven rest upon mother and daughter in their afiliction ! 



[The following beautiful lines were written by John G. Whittier, one of 
our best American Poets, on the celebrated tour in Europe in 1819-20, made by 
the Christian philanthropists, Stephen Grellet and William Allen.] 

THE CHRISTIAN TOURISTS. 

No aimless wanderers, by the fiend Unrest 

Goaded from shore to shore ; 
No schoolmen, turning, in their classic quest, 

The leaves of empire o'er. 
Simple of faith, and bearing in their hearts 

The love of man and God, 
Isles of old song, the Moslem's ancient marts, 

And Scythia's steppes, they trod. 

Where the long shadows of the fir and pine ' 

In the night sun are cast, 
And the deep heart of many a Norland mine 

Quakes at each riving blast ; 
Where, in barbaric grandeur, Moskwa stands, 

A baptized Scythian queen, 
With Europe's arts and Asia's jewelled hands, 

The North and East between ! 

Where still, through vales of Grecian fable, stray 

The classic forms of yore, 
And Beauty smiles, new risen from the spray, 

And Dian weeps once more ; 
Where every tongue in Smyrna's mart resounds ; 

And Stamboul from the sea 
Lifts her tall minarets over burial-grounds 

Black with the cypress tree ! 

From Malta's temples to the gates of Rome, 

Following the track of Paul, 
And where the Alps gird round the Switzer's home 

Their vast, eternal wall ; 



68 



They paused not by the ruins of old time, 

They scanned no pictures rare, 
Nor lingered where the snow-locked mountains climb 

The cold abyss of air ! 

But unto prisons, where men lay in chains, 

To haunts where Hunger pined, 
To kings and courts forgetful of the pains 

And wants of human kind, 
Scattering sweet words, and quiet deeds of good, 

Along their way, like flowers, 
Or, pleading as Christ's freemen only could, 

With princes and with powers ; 

Their single aim the purpose to fulfil 

Of Truth, from day to day, 
Simply obedient to its guiding will, 

They held their pilgrim way. 
Yet dream not, hence, the beautiful and old 

Were wasted on their sight, 
Who in the school of Christ had learned to hold 

All outward things aright. 

Not less to them the breath of vineyards blown 

From off the Cyprian shore, 
Not less for them the Alps in sunset shone, 

That man they valued more. 
A life of beauty lends to all it sees 

The beauty of its thought ; 
And fairest forms and sweetest harmonies 

Make glad its way, unsought. 

In sweet accordancy of praise and love, 

The singing waters run ; 
And sunset mountains wear in light above 

The smile of duty done ; 
Sure stands the promise — ever to the meek 

A heritage is given j 
Nor lose they Earth who, single-hearted, seek 

The righteousness of Heaven ! 



<b\t Jfigjft, Jfttiijr, anb Crofon: 


A DISCOURSE 


STEPHEN GRELLET, 


A SKETCH OF HIS LIFE AND LABOURS. 


DELIVERED DECEMBER 16, 1855, 


IN THE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH, BURLINGTON, N. J. 



BY 

CORTLANDT VAN RENSSELAER, 

A MINISTER IN TIIE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH. 



PHILADELPHIA: 

HENRY LONGSTRETH, 

347 MARKET STREET. 
1856. 



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